Naruto: The Way of Shadows
by Suna No Ken
Summary: For Kakashi Hatake assassination is an art. For Nogitsune life is about survival. He'll risk anything to be safer. So what greater risk than to apprentice himself to Kakashi. Now as Naruto Uzumaki he must learn to cultivate a flair for death or die.
1. The Night

**A/N: Hey, I've been in active on this sight for almost a year now. Well, Not inactive, just...I havent written anything in a while. I've pretty much focused on just being a betareader for a lot of people. Anyways, this story is based off of one of my favorite book series, The Night Angel Trilogy. It is an amazing read and you should check it out. The first three chapters will be based off of the chaps in the book, but after that it's all my story. It wont follow the basic plot of the story, much, just some key things I feel could be cool to add into this new alternate world of Naruto. So anyways I hope you all enjoy it and have a great time reading it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I have a plan on how to get it though. All I need is a legion of green spandex wearing freaks, a thousand mega phones, and one Madonna song. Let the siege begin!**

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><p>Nogitsune squatted through the alley, cold mud squishing through his bare toes. He stared at the narrow space between the wall, trying to get his nerve up. The sun wouldn't come up for hours and the tavern was empty. Most taverns in the village had dirt floors, but this part of the Barrens was built over a small marshland, barely two houses long, and not even drunks wanted to drink knee deep in mud, so the tavern had been raised a few inches on stilts and floored with bamboo poles.<p>

Coins sometimes dropped through the gaps in the bamboo, and the crawlspace was too small for most people to go after them. The guild's Big's were to large, and the Little's were too scared to squeeze into the suffocating darkness shared with spiders and rats and the half-wild tomcat the tavern keeper kept. Worst was the pressure of the bamboo on your back when someone walked overhead. It had been Nogitsune's favorite spot for a year, but he wasn't as small as he used to be. Last time he got stuck and had spent hours panicking until it rained and the ground was soft enough that he could dig his way out.

It was muddy now, and there would be no drunks and he had seen the tomcat leave. It should be fine. Besides, Mizuki was collecting guild dues tomorrow and Nogitsune didn't have four copper ryo. He didn't even have one, so there wasn't much choice. Mizuki wasn't understanding and he didn't know his own strength. Littles had died from his beatings.

Pushing aside mounds of mud, Nogitsune lay on his stomach. The dank earth soaked into his thin, filthy, orange clothes instantly. He'd have to work fast. He was skinny and if he caught a chill the odds of getting better weren't good.

Scooting past the darkness he began searching for the telltale metallic gleam. A couple of lamps were still burning in the tavern, so light filtered through the cracks, illuminating the mud and water in strange rectangles. He moved slowly and spider webs draped around his face and broke, and he felt a tingle on the back of his neck.

He froze. No, it was his imagination. Something glimmered and he grabbed his first copper ryo. He moved forward at a slow crawl until his pant leg caught on a branch. He tried get it loose but it wouldn't un-snag. Annoyed he pulled his leg forward swiftly and snapped the branch off, but the motion caused his knee to collide with a large rock hidden in the mud. He almost cried out and was instantly glad he hadn't. Through a wide space between the bamboo poles Nogitsune saw a man seated at he bar, still drinking. In the Barrens, you judge people quickly. Even if you had fast hands like Nogitsune did, when you stole every day, you were bound to get caught eventually. All merchants hit the guild bugs who stole from them, if they wanted any goods left to sell they had to. Some…some would take it even more personal than others, and the bugs unlucky enough to steal from them never stole again.

His focus solely on the seated man Nogitsune tried to pick any emotion or sign that the man wasn't aware of him, and if he was, whether or not he would die by his hands. Nogitsune thought he saw something kind and sad and lonely in this lanky figure. He was perhaps thirty, with spiky hair and a slim sword on his hip.

"How could you abandon me?" the man whispered so quietly Nogitsune could barely distinguish the words. He held a flagon in his left hand and cradled something Nogitsune couldn't see in his right. "After all these years I've served you, how could you abandon me now? Is it because of Rin?"

"Why Kakashi Hatake, you never fail to surprise." a new man said as he walked up the seated man. He had a kunai drawn and was in no way trying to hide it. Hw hadn't heard the sound of the door opening so the man must have dropped down from the rafters. "Hey, I'm all for calling a bluff, but you should have seen Rin when she figured out that you weren't going to save her. Made me damn near bawl my eye's out."

The lanky man turned to face the newcomer. His voice was slow, broken. "I killed six men tonight. Are you sure you want to make it seven?"

Nogitsune slowly caught up with what they'd been saying. The lanky man was the Shinobi Kakashi Hatake. A Shinobi was like an assassin-in the way a tiger is like a kitten. Among Shinobi's, Kakashi Hatake was undisputedly the best. Or, as the head of his guild said, at least the disputes didn't last long. _And I thought Kakashi Hatake looked _kind?

"Hatake, you'll be lucky of you don't cut your head off after all you've been drinking. Just in the time I've been watching, you've had-"

"Eight flagons. And I had four more before that."

Nogitsune wanted to run so badly, but he didn't dare move. He might accidentally splash the water around him and alert the men to his presence. Even if Kakashi Hatake looked kind, that was an awfully sharp sword, and Nogitsune knew better than to trust grown-ups.

"Your bluffing." The man facing Kakashi said, but there was fear in his voice.

"I don't bluff," Kakashi said. "Why don't you invite your friends in?"

Nogitsune watched as above him the assassin reached two fingers up to his lips and whistled. He didn't see Kakashi move, but the whistle ended as a gurgle and a moment later, the assassins body tumbled to the floor. There were yells as the front and back doors burst open. The boards flexed and jumped and in the noise Nogitsune was able to move from his spot and try to crawl towards an exit. As he was half way there he saw a vision of pink hair and large green eyes that stopped him cold.

_Doll Girl. _Nogitsune had to get those ryo, if not for himself, than for Doll girl. He gritted his teeth and searched frantically in the mud for the shimmering coins. The sounds of battle were dying down when he saw it. He edged forward and grabbed onto a small round coin that he thought he'd never see, let alone touch. A silver ryo. It was worth ten coppers! He could pay for his dues and still have enough left over to buy him, doll girl, and Haku some bread to eat tomorrow.

Grinning like mad, Nogitsune crawled his way to the exit then stopped. The sound of battle had stopped entirely now. A few feet away he could see something dripping from the floor boards into a puddle in the mud. It was too dark to see what it was, but it didn't take much imagination to guess.

The silence was eerie and Nogitsune could tell it was dangerous. If any of the men had survived he'd at least hear their panting, no human could fight hard and not get winded, let alone against the legend that was Kakashi Hatake. If Kakashi had survived then he would still be on guard waiting for the slightest sound incase of any hidden attackers. That meant if Nogitsune moved and was heard, Kakashi might think him an enemy and he'd end up dead. The entire fight must have last around fifty seconds, and Nogitsune was sure that they hadn't killed each other off if it ended that quickly.

He was chilled, and not just from the water. Death was no stranger in the Barrens, but Nogitsune had never seen so many people die so fast and so easily. Nogitsune waited for five minutes, and finally he slowly and soundlessly moved to leave the crawl space. If he were braver he would have looted the bodies in the tavern, but he just couldn't believe that Kakashi was dead. Maybe he was a demon like the other guild bugs said. Maybe he was standing outside, just waiting there to kill him for spying.

Chest tight with fear, Nogitsune dug his hands into the mud and shifted the last of the mud in front of him, giving him a clear path outside. He was a foot from the opening when something bright flashed in front of his nose, effectively slicing through some of his blond hair. It was so close, it took a moment to come into focus. It was Kakashi Hatake's sword, and it was stuck through the floor all the into the mud, barring Nogitsune's escape.

Just above him on the other side of the floor, Kakashi Hatake whispered, "Never speak of this. Understand? I've done worse than kill children."

The sword disappeared, and Nogitsune scrambled out into the night. He didn't stop running for miles.


	2. Escape

**A/N: Alright then heres the next chapter. I was going to wait a week before posting this but reading a new chapter of The Melody of the Fox after so long got me in the mood for some awesome story writing. So I hope you like the new chapter! Oh! Also, someone asked what eges they were, well Nogi/Naruto's 12, Sakura's 11, and Haku's 14.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and I was very disappointed that only one reviewer wanted to join my legion to get Naruto from Kishimoto. Sign ups are still available though!**

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><p>"Four Coppers! Four! This isn't four." Mizuki snarled at Haku, face so red with rage that a few of the Littles were backing away in fear. Mizuki grabbed Haku's thin tunic and hoisted him up off the ground, his free hand drawing back. Nogitsune ducked his head, not wanting to watch what was coming.<p>

"This is four!" Mizuki shouted, his spit flying into Haku's face. As his hand slapped across Haku's face, Nogitsune realized that it was a performance. Not the beating-Mizuki was definitely hitting Haku-but he was hitting him with an open hand instead of closed fist. It was louder that way. Mizuki wasn't even paying attention to Haku anymore, instead he was looking at the rest of the guild, enjoying their fear.

"Who's next?" Mizuki called out once he was finished slapping Haku around. Nogitsune stepped forward quickly so Mizuki wouldn't kick his friend. At seventeen Mizuki was already the size of a man, and he had muscle, something that was rare among the Neverborn.

Slowly, Nogitsune dug into his pocket and pulled out the four copper ryo that Doll Girl had given to him this morning. He nearly cried when she did that, because he knew some of the ways that girls could make money in the Barrens. Thankfully though, she shook her head furiously when he asked if she did something along those lines. With the four copper ryo she gave him, he could save the silver one and buy them all some fresh bread and cheese, maybe even a sweet to share.

His wishes faltered however as he heard Mizuki speak. "Eight Coppers midget, you gotta pay for Doll Girl too." Nogitsune blinked in surprise before glaring at the Big.

"She's too young. Girls don't pay dues until they're twelve." Mizuki sneered at him before ducking down low enough to look Nogitsune in the eyes.

"Well I say she's twelve unless she says different." Then Mizuki stood straight again and turned to Doll Girl, a wicked smile on his face. "Say it Doll Girl, say it or I'll beat up your little boyfriend here."

As one, the attention of the whole guild seemed to focus on Doll Girls small form. Doll Girl was tiny, with huge green eyes, and filthy pink hair, but underneath all the grime, her features were as flawless as her namesake. As soon as everyone started to look at her however, she began to panic and shrink into herself, afraid of standing out and getting beaten.

Nogitsune was furious at Mizuki for this. Everyone knew that Doll Girl was mute, and yet he was torturing her by giving her the false hope of helping Nogitsune if she could only speak. Nogitsune wanted to do something, anything to Mizuki, but he couldn't. Mizuki was the Dealer. He abused the members of the guild, he collected the dues, he forced himself on some of the members, but he was the one who made sure that the other guilds didn't try and force their way into their territory. He led the Bigs into the battles, and he made sure that he was the only one to abuse the Littles. Everyone feared Mizuki, but they still needed him.

Nogitsune was brought out of his thoughts though when Mizuki leered down at him and cupped his chin with his hand forcing Nogitsune to look at him. "Why don't you join my pretty boys Nogi? You'll never have to pay dues again. I'll let Doll Girl stay for free, with one of my Bigs to protect her at all times. What do you say?"

Nogitsune tried to speak, but his throat was so tight that all that came out was a small yip. Mizuki snorted and began to laugh, the whole guild joining in, some finding the scene honestly funny, and some just wanting to put Mizuki back into a good mood before it was their turn. Pure hatred coursed through Nogitsune. He Hated Mizuki. He Hated the guild. But most of all Nogitsune hated himself for considering Mizuki's offer.

It would just be so much _easier_ if he became one of Mizuki's pretty boys. Sure he would probably be tortured for weeks as Mizuki's new play thing, but after that he would get bored and leave him mostly alone, never having to worry about scrounging for coppers again. Never having to worry about starving. Doll Girl would even be taken care of so no one could hurt her. It would be so easy to just give in to it, a better life than what he had now. All it would cost was the little amount of dignity and friends he had.

"Go fuck yourself Mizuki. I'd rather stick my nuts into a fire and have them chopped off than to become one of your boys, you twist!" Nogitsune spat out, eyes challenging Mizuki.

Mizuki's eyes turned murderous at Nogitsune's proclamation. In no time at all, Mizuki's fist had crashed into the side of Nogitsune's head, sending him crashing to the floor. Mizuki moved to kick the downed boy, but was thoroughly surprised to see Nogitsune roll on the floor and maneuver back onto his feet before breaking out into a cold run. Forgetting all about collecting dues and focusing only on murdering someone, Mizuki ran after Nogitsune.

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><p>He was good. He had stamina. He used everything at his disposal. He planned things out near perfection. And he was damn lucky. Kakashi liked that. After all, if the blong boy had that kind of luck despite living in the Barrens, who knew what kind of luck the boy could bring to anyone else? He wouldn't have believed in the boys luck though had he not seen how the boy handled that silver haired Big.<p>

He watched as the boy led the silver haired Big through a chase around the Barrens, using his smaller form to weave through all the street urchins, beggars, guild bugs, and few merchants to gain a sizable lead on the Big. The weaving and lead were the most important parts of the boys quickly hatched plan, because as soon as they were out of the crowded streets, the Big's much longer legs allowed him to catch up to the boy almost instantly, his whole body screaming that he was about to attack.

And attack the Big did. He leapt at the boy, but didn't realize that since he hadn't been on his tail the entire time, the boy was able to lead him to where he wanted a confrontation. That was why, just as the Big leapt and caught the boy, they crashed through the door of one of the Barrens many Houses of Passion. As the door broke and the two rolled into the building, every eye turned to the two of them. The Bigs eyes were blind in their fury, but Kakashi was impressed with the look of confidence on the boys face. His plan seemed to be working.

The Big reared back his fist so as the sock the boy, but he instead cried out in pain as nearly a dozen heavy copper Ryo were thrown into his face by the boy beneath him. His cry of pain was just enough to snap the guards out of their shock and converge on the two boys. The silver haired Big tried to fight them, but despite his obvious muscle, he had no chance at overpowering three trained guards. As one, the three guards knocked him out and threw him into the street outside, not caring what happened to him.

The blond boy on the other hand looked relieved and smiled confidently at having successfully gotten out of danger, though Kakashi could still see some fear in the boys eyes. Once the guards got to the boy, they questioned him before lifting him up so that they could take him over to Anko. She had a soft spot for the guild bugs, and besides, she was the one in charge of all the Houses of Passion in the Barrens, while her much older aunt Tsunade was in charge of the Houses in the rest of Konoha. She would know what to do with the boy.

Kakashi wondered what Anko would do for the boy, but didn't really dwell on it. He wasn't too concerned about the boy, he didn't even know why he had decided to follow the chase. Maybe he was just trying to find something entertaining. Either way, he didn't care anymore, so he casually turned on the roof top and vanished.

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><p>"So." The spiky purple haired pony tailed lady stated as she stared at Nogitsune. "So." She said again, this time staring at the paper in her hand. "So. Why did you crash into one of my establishments, breaking down the door and disturbing my customers, and proceed to fight with what we assume to be your guild Dealer?" She looked back at Nogitsune, and he shivered slightly underneath her intense gaze.<p>

Swallowing a bit, Nogitsune answered, a bit of fear making his voice waver. "I needed some way of stopping him from killing me, if only temporarily. So I ran across the Barrens to the closest House I knew of. I knew that if I could get in there, even if Mizuki caught me, your guards would throw him out or beat him up for trying to kill some one in your House."

Anko nodded, what the boy said made sense. "Alright, but that begs the question of why he was chasing you."

Nogitsune swallowed again. "I didn't have enough coppers to pay my dues." Nogitsune lied.

Anko frowned and looked at the paper again. "It says that you threw about twelve copper ryo at the boys face. Are you saying that your dues are higher than that?"

"No, not at all." Nogitsune said quickly, not wanting the lady to do something to him for lying. "I stole those from people I was running past as I led Mizuki to your House. I knew that I could probably use them as a weapon if things got bad enough."

Anko narrowed her eyes but nodded slowly at the boy. "I see. Well then, I cant really charge you for breaking down my door, and I doubt that you'd be any good at all if I put you to work in order to pay the door off. So consider this a warning. If I find you ever causing trouble in one of my Houses again, I'll force you to work in the actual rooms where the passions take place. Understand?" Anko asked, her voice filled with the intent to make the threat come true should she need to.

Nogitsune could only nod before Anko motioned for one of her guards to take him out of the building.

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><p>"What's new Haku?" Nogitsune greeted his friend as he walked up to their usual meeting place.<p>

"Just what I can see Nogi." Haku replied back, twisting his hair back into a bun at the top of his head. Haku had to be careful when he had his hair down. His face and body were rather girly, and his long hair that he couldn't bear to cut made many people think that he was a girl. And at the age of fourteen, a girl-or someone who looks like one-alone in the Barrens was a dangerous thing to be.

Nogitsune nodded his head and leaned on the wall next to Haku, patting Doll Girl's head as she was by his friends side. "So, tell me what happened after Mizuki started to chase me?" Nogitsune asked.

Haku straightened up before sighing. "Not too many things. Some of the other bugs who didn't have enough for dues started betting on whether you'd escape or not. Then Kabuto came out and started to finish collecting the dues. About half an hour later Mizuki found his way back to the Guild House and just went to his room, though he did curse everyone out who mentioned your name. You know he's gonna try and kill you later right?" Haku asked as he finished his report.

Nogitsune could only nod solemnly as he thought of how he could avoid Mizuki for the rest of his life. "He wanted me to be one of his boys." Nogitsune said.

Haku sighed and shook his head. "Better one of his boys than dead."

Nogitsune shook his head in defiance and sent a half hearted glare at Haku. "I wont end up like Ren." He said sternly, more to himself than to Haku. All Haku could do was shake his head sadly for his friend.

"Mizuki wont stop Nogi. He'll get you, and he'll do things worse to you than he ever did to anyone else. He'll make Ren look lie nothing compared to you. You'll want to die but he wont let you. He hates you." Haku shuddered a bit in fear just imagining how horrible it might be for his friend.

Nogitsune could only lower his head and think. He didn't have any real way out of this. He supposed that he could try and join another guild, but he doubted that any of them might let Haku and Doll Girl join too, and even if they did, there was no status quo for them in a new guild. Haku might get passed around because of his looks, and he would never be able to protect Doll Girl from a whole new guild. "So what do I do Haku?" He finally asked as he couldn't think of any options.

Haku seemed to space out for a while before he seemed to gain a resolved look in his eyes. "If I tell you a secret, can you keep it quiet?"

Nogitsune blinked in surprise but nodded his head. "Well _I_ can. I'm not so sure about Doll Girl though." The two boys turned to Doll Girl. Her large green eyes were wide in outrage and her face was set into such a cute scowl that the boys couldn't help but to laugh. Having enough of it, Doll Girl bopped the two of them on the head, causing dual yelps of pain. Slowly they let their much needed laughter die and got back to business.

Haku looked around the alley hesitantly before lifting his shirt up a bit and pulling out a sash he had tied to his body. "I wont be like the others Nogi. I wont just let life happen to me. I'm gonna get out." Haku opened his sash and both Nogitsune and Doll Girl gasped.

Inside the sash were forty copper ryo, nine silver ryo, and impossibly, two gold ryo. It was more money than they had ever seen in their lives. And Haku had **two** gold ryo! Gold was worth twenty silvers! In the Barrens Haku was just about rich! But still…

"Why Haku? You've had this every time that Mizuki beat you for not making your dues. You never once used it. So why did you take all that punishment?" Nogitsune had to ask, because despite Haku being his best friend, he wasn't above smacking his friend around for being an idiot.

"Because Nogi, I've been saving for four years with one purpose in mind. I don't think I can make it on my own. And I know that Doll Girl probably cant survive long with out someone to help her. So that leaves you Nogi. You can do it. You can get out, and apprentice yourself to somebody, maybe even Kakashi Hatake like you always dreamed of. Then you can get us out. That's why I want you to take it Nogi. As soon as we find out where Kakashi lives, we're gonna get you out. So will you take it?"

Nogitsune looked at the pile of coins. Four years. Dozens of beatings. Not only did he not know if he could give that much for Haku, but he had also briefly entertained the idea of stealing the money and getting out by himself. He couldn't hold back the hot tears as they made their way out of his eyes. He was so ashamed. He was so afraid. Afraid of Mizuki, afraid of Kakashi, always so damn afraid. But if he got out, he could help the others. And Kakashi would teach him to kill.

Nogitsune looked at Haku, not daring to look at Doll Girl for fear of what might be in her big green eyes. "I'll take it."

He knew who he'd kill first.

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><p><strong>And Thats the show ladies and gentlemen! I hope you enjoyed it! And for those of you wondering where Tayuya is, never fear, you'll see her very soon! And damn, what an entrance I'm planning for her. Alright then people, please review and fav, or just story alert this thing, cause I got really depressed that not many people semed to be excited about this story. I wont stop the story if I dont get reviews, I just would feel better with them. <strong>

**Suna No Ken**


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